WASHINGTON ?
Ralph Nader today became the ninth 2004 presidential candidate to be declared
eligible by the Federal Election Commission to receive federal matching funds.
Nader is seeking the Populist and other third party nominations for president
in 2004.

To become
eligible for matching funds, candidates must raise a threshold amount of
$100,000 by collecting $5,000 in 20 different states in amounts no greater than
$250 from any individual. Other requirements to be declared eligible include
agreeing to an overall spending limit, abiding by spending limits in each state,
using public funds only for legitimate campaign‑related expenses, keeping
financial records and permitting an extensive campaign audit.

Based on
documents filed by the Nader campaign on April 20 , 2004, contributions from the
following states were verified for threshold purposes: Arizona , California,
Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois,
Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York,
North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and
Wisconsin.

Once
declared eligible, campaigns may submit additional contributions for matching
funds on the first business day of every month. The maximum amount a candidate
could receive is $18.7 million.